"When is the next CPI report?" was a question no one was asking back in the days of 2% inflation readings. Alas, those days are long gone. Inflation hit a four-decade high in 2022, prompting the Federal Reserve to embark on its most aggressive campaign of interest rate hikes since the late Carter and early Reagan administrations. Though inflation peaked more than a year ago, the fact remains that it's still too high for the central bank's comfort. That's why the Consumer Price Index or CPI report has become pretty much the star of the economic data calendar. Markets desperately want the Fed to stop raising interest ... (full story)